Garden Route

The Garden Route is certainly one of South Africa's best-known attractions. However, nobody knows exactly where it actually starts or ends and who gave it its name. In any case, you will look in vain for flowering gardens or anything similar. Nevertheless, nature has clearly left its mark on this area. The typical Cape fynbos vegetation alternates with dense pristine forests, river and lake landscapes and beautiful stretches of coastline. The most beautiful part of the Garden Route lies between Wilderness in the west and Natures Valley in the east. At least two nights should be spent along the Garden Route, but even three nights will certainly not be boring.

Wilderness

The small town of Wilderness is nestled between the mighty Outeniqua Mountains and the Indian Ocean. The center consists of a small supermarket, a petrol station and a handful of restaurants. The wide and endless beach is the town's flagship. Behind the high dunes is the Wilderness National Park, which is particularly popular with hikers. But activities such as mountain biking and sandboarding are also possible here.

Sedgefield

Segdefield is the big unknown on the Garden Route for tourists from overseas. South Africans tend to spend their vacations here. The large Wild Oats Farmers Market takes place on Saturday mornings, where many local products from the surrounding producers are sold. Young and old meet here to chat and enjoy themselves. The beaches of the small town are unique and usually deserted, even in high season. The hinterland is characterized by large lake landscapes and dense forests. Active vacationers can explore the treetops in the climbing park or whizz over the dunes on a quad bike.

Knysna

Knysna is the center of the Garden Route and ideal as an overnight base. From here, all the highlights from Wilderness to The Crags can be easily reached on day trips, with distances of less than 50 km in each direction. The eye-catcher is certainly the famous lagoon, which is only connected to the sea by a narrow opening (The Heads). Many restaurants, cafés, stores and galleries invite you to stroll around the town and the small waterfront. Various boat trips are offered out onto the lagoon and the open sea, including whale watching from June to November. The various beaches in the area are ideal for swimming or long walks. The pristine forests of the hinterland offer great hiking opportunities, for example to an old gold mining settlement or one of the famous Big Trees.

Plettenberg Bay

Plettenberg Bay is one of the most affluent places in the country. Many wealthy Johannesburgers have built their vacation villas on the beach here. That's why it's also quite quiet and tranquil outside the South African vacation season. The Robberg Nature Reserve, an offshore peninsula in the sea, is a paradise for hikers and coastal lovers. There are great swimming opportunities at the mouth of the Keurbooms River. The river also offers good recreational opportunities such as fishing, canoeing and more.

The Crags

The Crags is home to some very interesting animal sanctuaries. In Monkeyland, you can walk through the jungle with over 450 different free-roaming primates such as lemurs, baboons and gibbon monkeys. Birds Of Eden is the largest free-flight aviary in the southern hemisphere. Over 280 different bird species can be admired here. The Tenikwa Wildlife Rehabilitation Center is a breeding station for South African big cats such as lions, leopards and cheetahs. These three animal sanctuaries have a strict "do not touch" policy, where visitors are allowed to get close to the animals but not touch them. There are other animal sanctuaries in the area, but these also offer petting and feeding activities and are therefore not recommended in our opinion.